Sepsis Core Elements
Hospitals Reporting
5,430
general acute care hospitals reported in 2025
Sepsis program priorities uptake increasing
24
of 28 priorities improved in 2025 compared to 2024
Sepsis committee
82%
general acute care hospitals have a sepsis committee or program charged with monitoring and improving outcomes
Sepsis Priority Area
Sepsis Core Elements
Implementing sepsis-focused quality improvement programs in hospitals has been shown to reduce patient mortality, length of stay, and healthcare costs.*
To support these efforts, CDC released the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements in August 2023 to guide institutions in optimizing early identification and management of the condition. Progress is currently being tracked via expanded questions on CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Patient Safety Component Annual Hospital Survey. This summary is analyzed by 28 Sepsis Program Priorities, which have been described previously.
Hospitals who implemented more Sepsis Program Priorities had more guideline-concordant management and lower risk-adjusted mortality.*
- Data Source
- National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
- Years Included
- 2024 - 2025
Sepsis Program Priority Reporting
Hospital Sepsis Program Priority Implementation
This chart shows the percentage of general acute care hospitals implementing each of the 28 Sepsis Program Priorities, for the selected year. Hover over a bar to see the full priority description.
Hospital Sepsis Program Priority ImplementationHospital Sepsis Program Priority Implementation, 2025
Footnotes
- Hallie C Prescott, Megan Heath, Emily Walzl, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Jennifer Horowitz, Namita Jayaprakash, Scott A Flanders, Raymund B Dantes, Patricia J Posa, CDC's Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements are associated with improved management and outcomes of sepsis, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Volume 212, Issue 3, March 2026, Pages 537–541, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajrccm/aamaf113
- Suggested Citation: CDC. Antimicrobial Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (AR&PSP) Sepsis Core Elements Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. https://arpsp.cdc.gov/